A NORTH East business is helping its new recruits march ahead, with bootcamp style team-building to put them on the front foot.
Just Travel Cover, which is based in Sunderland city centre, welcomed Army Reserve Ian Flannery to its Burdon Road base, to deliver a military-style team-building day, designed to bring members of its 60-strong team, old and new, together.
The travel insurance provider, which last year celebrated its 20th anniversary, has a strong relationship with the military, thanks to the work it does to make insurance more accessible for military personnel, who can often find it difficult to source travel cover. It signed the Armed Forces Covenant in 2019, making a pledge to support members of HM Forces, and in exchange was able to tap into Reserves support to help strengthen its team-ethic through a series of exercises.
Andrew Jackson, managing director of Just Travel Cover, said the day helped nurture relationships between new members of staff, and those who have been with the company much longer.
He said: “Just Travel Cover has a long-established team – many of whom, like me, have grown with the company. Our recent expansion means we have added to our number considerably, and we were keen to help build stronger relationships between team members, to ensure we work together effectively.
“Few organisations boast a stronger sense of team-spirit than the armed forces, and that’s why working with them to deliver this boot camp was so beneficial to us.”
The team undertook a range of activities as part of the one-day bootcamp, which was led by Ian Flannery, who served in the Army for more than 15 years.
Ian, who is CO of the 50 (Northern) Signal Squadron, a reserve unit in Darlington, and recently penned his first novel The Watch List under his pen name Joseph Mitcham, said: “It was a great pleasure to support Just Travel Cover with teambuilding activities to bring its growing staff-base together in an engaging and entertaining way.
“Just Travel Cover has a really positive relationship with Armed Forces organisations and charities, supporting military personnel across the UK, so we were only too happy to give something back, and help the new members of the team settle into the business.”
He added: “It was fantastic to see such a committed, passionate team of people working together so positively and it’s no surprise that the business is going from strength-to-strength with a team as dedicated as they are.”
Award-winning business, Just Travel Cover – that was founded in Sunderland – deals directly with customers as well as working with travel agents, insurance brokers, and charities to provide additional routes to its policies. New members of staff have joined the business in a range of positions, with the majority working as part of its busy customer services team and the company is currently recruiting a range of additional roles.
Mr Jackson added: “Just Travel Cover is going from strength to strength. We have had a phenomenally busy start to 2020, and that creates a real need for us to work together as a team and support each other. To have the help of the Armed Forces – renowned internationally for its incredible organisation, teamwork and commitment – to enable our team to build that same ethic was a fantastic opportunity and we’re thrilled with the impact it has had.”